Preparing for OTS

Preparing for OTS was difficult for me because I had a lot of mental barriers I had to overcome.  In a way, I applied for OTS against my will.  There is a part of me which wanted to separate from the Air Force and pursue a civilian life, but another part of me knew applying was what I was supposed to do.  The part of me which wanted to separate is the same part which resisted the Air Force way of life, and in turn, resisted preparation for OTS.  This will probably not make sense to you unless I explain the spiritual aspect of my life.

My strategy for OTS preparation was to do everything in my power to prepare in advance.  I knew OTS would be extremely busy so I wanted to be as prepared as possible.  The areas I wanted to focus on were memorization of HAWK/OTSMAN knowledge, PT test prep, packing list/uniforms, and support equipment (computers, printers, notebooks, etc.)  When it came to execution of my strategy, I completely failed.  I didn’t seriously study the HAWK or OTSMAN until I was in the car on the way to OTS.  I didn’t prep for my PT test because I didn’t want to accept the reality that I would soon be stuck in the AETC training environment.  I had most of my uniform items but they were not de-stringed or dry cleaned, and I purchased much of my support equipment on my trip to OTS.  This caused me to be extremely stressed prior to arrival and during the initial weeks, which was not ideal.

On a side note, I refused to begin rolling t-shirts or socks prior to arrival.  For this type of preparation I trusted that the OTS program would give me enough time to figure this stuff out.  In the end I was right, but this may not be the right approach for everyone.  For the bare minimum I recommend you have brief familiarization with rolling but you should have plenty of time to figure it out before it really matters.

TFIT was tough for me because I had to first accept the reality that I was actually doing what I didn’t want to do (become an officer), and catch up in the areas I knew I hadn’t prepared for.  Despite my initial shortfalls, I was able to recover quickly.  Here are some of the lessons I learned during the TFIT portion of my training.

Packing List

Airman Battle Uniform

• The “Uniforms/Clothing/Equipment Requirements or Restrictions” portion of the reporting instructions was about 90% accurate.  I followed the list as closely as possible with a few caveats.  I will run through them below.
• ABUs:  I brought three uniforms with name tapes and prior service AFSC badges sewn on.  Two uniforms had the buttons like normal, and one had the blouse pockets sewn down.  If I could do it again, all three uniform blouses would have had the pockets sewn down.  Having pockets sewn and AFSC badges displayed were 100% not an issue.  At OTS you are scrutinized on your ability to comply with instructions, not by what version of uniform you have.  As long as it complies with AFI 36-2903, you are good to go.  You can purchase uniforms online with name tapes and AFSC badges sewn on, and customized pockets at Kellac.  They arrive in the mail completely ready to wear.  NOTE:  Normally I wear ABU pants without pleats on the cargo pockets, but for OTS I left them stock.  I used my cargo pockets all the time so I do not recommend doing anything which impedes your ability to store items.
• I brought one regular pair of ABU boots and one old ratty pair.  Since I was at OTS during the fall, we commonly dealt with rain.  Once my “regular” pair got wet they smelled terrible.  I personally recommend two pairs of boots if you are prior service and you have them.  If not, bring one and decide after you get here.
• I brought my prior service desert sand shirts and it was not a problem.  As long as they are in fairly good shape you should be able to roll them with no problem.
• I brought my old ABU hat and had no problems.
• I brought a Gen II sage green fleece and I had no problems.  Be sure to bring the velcro name tapes as well.  You will not need the enlisted rank.  I ordered my fleece from Kellac.
• Watch cap and gloves were required for us during the fall months.  We had to have at least one pair of black gloves (for PT), but some people have sage green as well.

Blues

• Lightweight:  Don’t bring one with the embroidered Air Force symbol because it is almost guaranteed you will have to purchase a new one.  You may be able to squeak by with an embroidered one, but it will probably be difficult.
• Service Coat:  If you can, have this completely tailored and ready to go.  You can purchase and have it tailored when you get here, but it is a PAIN to pick it up.  You do not really have free time to do this kind of stuff the initial few weeks of training.  If you have to do it here, you have to have one day to purchase it and have it marked for altering, then another day to pick it up.
• Blues Pants:  There is a ton of confusion out there on these items.  There are two types of blues pants, (55% polyester/45% wool) and (100% polyester).  I was issued four pairs of the 55/45 poly/wool blend in basic training in 2004.  In more recent years, trainees were issued the 100% polyester.  Regardless of what you have, in Service Dress (pants and service jacket) you MUST WEAR the wool ones with the jacket.  The polyester ones will not match so you cannot wear them.  Due to this, the requirements list we received on day 1 said we had to have one pair of poly/wool blend and two pairs of polyester.  I was required to purchase two pairs of polyester pants which I was not happy about, and I will tell you soon if both pairs were required.  Again, I recommend having these pants tailored and good to go prior to arrival.
• Insignia, belt and buckle, flight cap, tie, under shirts, ribbons, and garters.  These are all quick purchase items so you should be good to either bring or purchase at OTS.
• Standard blue and metallic name tags:  I recommend bringing them if you can, but it isn’t a huge deal.  It will be a while until you have to wear them, but it will be one less thing you have to worry about picking up later from the shoppette.  If you have to order here you will order them on the initial purchase date, and pick them up at a later date after they are ready.
• Shoes:  Bring low quarters which comply with AFI 36-2903.  Most people wore corfams but some people brought the old school ones you polish.  You can purchase these quickly at the OTS shoppette.
• Mess Dress:  This can be a huge pain to deal with at OTS because there are a lot of items to purchase, it can be time consuming to ensure you have the right accouterments, and it will have to get tailored.  If you can, have it squared away before you arrive and leave all mess dress related items in your car.  If you can’t, just know you will have to take time to purchase everything, get it tailored and dry cleaned, and be ready to go for dining in/out.  You can rent through a place which comes to the dorms, but the process can involve long lines and take up precious time.  Most officers will end up wearing their mess dress later in their career so if you rent here at OTS you may be throwing $80 down drain.  If you rent, I think you still have to purchase the mini medals yourself.

PT Uniform

• You can probably purchase this at OTS with no problems.  That way you can try it on because the sizes are all over the place.  The older swishy uniform is completely fine to bring but you will annoy your flight mates.
• Socks.  I cannot stand crew socks, but I bought three pairs for display.  I figured out a way to roll the ankle socks and can probably do a YouTube video for you if you want.  I have yet to know if they meet the inspection requirements yet.
• Running shoes.  Bring something that fit and that are comfortable.  I recommend two pairs because if you run in the rain it is great to have a dry pair to fall back on to wear after duty hours.

Female Uniform Items

• If you have questions, ask me questions and I will do my best to answer.
• At first the staff said the princess cut shirts were unauthorized to wear, but in the end the rule was basically you had to wear the regular shirts when blues was the Uniform of the Day (UOD), but if blues were optional (when exercising privileges) you could wear whatever you wanted.

Miscellaneous

• Bring your old duffle bag if you have it or you may have to buy a new one.  Some people may be able to get away with not buying one at all but it will depend on how much the staff is paying attention.
• Buy new underwear because it folds easier.  I can probably do an underwear folding YouTube video if you really want one but it is fairly straight forward.
• A white towel and wash cloth will be pre-positioned for you, and you will purchase it.  I brought another one as an extra which was helpful at first.
• If you are picky about shampoo or shaving cream, etc., bring what you like.  You can purchase items at the shoppette but they have more limited options, and it will be a few days until you go there.
• I only used shower shoes the first few days until I was able to clean my shower to my own personal standards.

Miscellaneous (optional)

• Shoe polishing supplies:  you only need this if you have polish-able low quarters.
• Soap dish & cover:  If you use bar soap bring a cover, otherwise the bottle body wash should be fine.
• Sewing kit:  Knowing how to sew buttons back on is extremely useful, so have the supplies to do so if necessary.  I messed up because I bought a small sewing kit but it didn’t have white thread, so I had to purchase a new one at OTS to sew on a blues shirt button which fell off.
• Bug spray, sunscreen, pens, laundry soap, stain remover (oxyclean or tide pens), shoe inserts, hair pins:  Bring what you need.  I highly recommend bringing stain remover or purchasing when you get here.  I bought bug spray and sunscreen but never used it, but I don’t burn easy and was at OTS during the fall months.
• Wrist watch:  absolutely bring a watch.  Your schedule will be dictated down to the minute.  Synchronize it to the USNO master clock PRIOR TO ARRIVAL.
• Pajamas:  You have to be in an authorized uniform in the dorms.  After hours you can wear whatever, but once you wake up you won’t have much time to change so you might as well PT gear to bed.

Random Stuff I’m Glad I Brought